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Citation:

Ada, A. F., & Zubizarreta, R. (2001). Parent narratives: The cultural bridge between Latino parents and their children. In Maria de la Luz Reyes & John J. Halcon (Eds.), The Best For Our Children: Critical Perspectives on Literacy for Latino Students (pp. 229-244). New York, NY: Teachers College Press.

Annotation:
This article explores how Latino parents view their childrenÕs education and their own role in it. The authors draw on their long-term work with parents from across the country, particularly from California and Texas. Despite differences among the parents, including their nationality and cultural backgrounds, length of time in this country, and economic circumstances, the authors identified common themes. These themes include: a) parentsÕ high hopes for their childrenÕs future, b) parentsÕ roles in their childrenÕs education and moral development, c) a desire for the development of cooperative social values, and d) a desire to maintain the home language and culture as a way of supporting strong family ties. The authors also examine ColemanÕs (1991) Òsocial capitalÓ theory given that it is the mainstream theory that underlies the field of parent involvement. They argue that while it offers valuable insight, ethnocentric attitudes have often accompanied this theory, leading to erroneous conclusions; i.e. blaming schoolsÕ limited effectiveness with certain populations on the supposedly weak social capital of these communities. The authors suggest that an appropriate use of the concept can, however, lead to very useful questions about parent involvement among Latino parents. They end by offering two models for literacy practice that do this: a classroom-based approach that invites family and community into the curriculum, and a family literacy program inspired by the work of Paulo Freire (1970) that works directly with parents. This article calls for strengthening Latino familiesÕ social capital by widening the focus of parent involvement to include what schools can do to nurture childrenÕs pride in their own families and communities, and how schools can work with parents in respectful and rewarding ways. School practitioners should approach their work with children and parents in ways that strengthen childrenÕs vital relationships to their families and communities. Inviting parentsÕ experiences, reflections, and wisdom will elicit their valuable contributions and help build the gap between them and schools, and between them and their children. This article is useful to practitioners because it critically examines the social capital concept which is often misused, and offers concrete and programmatic suggestions for creating learning environments that respect and honor LatinosÕ ethnic and cultural identities.